Slovenia - Country information

Official name of the country: REPUBLIC OF SLOVENIA Form of government: DEMOCRATIC PARLIAMENTARY REPUBLIC Area: 20,273 km2 Population: 2,058,821 Official language: SLOVENIAN Capital: LJUBLJANA Population of the capital: 282,994 Important economic and cultural cities: LJUBLJANA, MARIBOR, KRANJ, CELJE, KOPER, NOVO MESTO

Interesting facts about the country

Slovenia is the third most forested country in Europe. Almost 60% of its territory is covered by forest.

Slovenia is among the most biologically diverse countries in the world.

A total of 24,000 animal species live in Slovenia.

Over one third of Slovenia's territory is protected and included in the Europe-wide Natura 2000 network, which protects biodiversity.

Maribor, Slovenia's second-largest city is home to the oldest vine in the world. Although it is over four hundred years old, its Žametna Črnina grapes still produce 25 liters of wine every year.

Slovenia is one of the countries with the largest number of religious buildings per capita in Europe. There are almost 3,000 churches, chapels and religious monuments around Slovenia.

Slovenia's world-famous Lipica stud farm, celebrated for its aristocratic Lipizzaners, has been operating uninterruptedly since its foundation in 1580.

The adult Lipizzaner is notable for its white color and its remarkable learning ability.

In Slovenia you can see the traces of real dinosaurs. Traces from the early Triassic, probably around 200 million years old, can be seen on Zalarjev Vrh near Idrija.

The greatest number of Bled's famous cream slices or Cremeschnitte have been made in the pastry workshop of the Hotel Park in Bled – over 10 million of them. The original recipe of master pastry chef Ištvan Lukačevič has remained unchanged since 1953.

The Slovene ultra-marathon swimmer Martin Strel was the first man to successfully swim the Amazon, the Mississippi and the Yangtze.

The geographical and climatic variety and diversity of Slovenia mean that in a single day you can pick autumn fruits in the morning, bathe in the Adriatic in the afternoon, and go night skiing in the evening.